Americans Cite Lack of Corporate Training as #1 Driver of the “Skills Gap” Today, According to National Survey from Mindflash

September

25

th,

2014

More than two in five employed Americans received no skills training on the job in the past two years.

PALO ALTO, CA – September 25, 2014 – For every open job in America today, there are more than two people actively looking for work. Despite more than 4.5 million jobs open in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 10 million Americans continue to seek employment – a predicament commonly blamed on the “skills gap,” in which American job seekers do not possess the skills for which employers today are looking. In a new online survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of online business training software leader Mindflash, both employed and unemployed Americans believe that employers’ lack of willingness to train new employees is the leading reason why many Americans are unemployed and job opportunities are sitting unfilled for longer periods, also known as the “skills gap”. Almost one-third (31 percent) of Americans cited that employers aren’t willing to train new hires for the specific skills they need.

These findings stem directly from employees’ own experiences with corporate training. In fact, more than two-fifths of employed Americans (41 percent) didn't receive any skills training (i.e., product training, management training) on the job in the past two years. Not only do Americans believe lack of corporate training is the leading reason for the “skills gap” today, a majority (76 percent) believe that companies have at least some responsibility to help address the so-called "skills gap" in America, where job seekers are not qualified for open positions today.

“Companies themselves have a hand in creating the very skills gap that is holding up work and productivity across our country today,” says Donna Wells, CEO, Mindflash. “While we work on long-term solutions such as improvements in higher education, companies need to rise to the occasion and invest in developing the ‘perfect hires’ they need to thrive here and now.”

This lack of investment is perceived by Americans as extending beyond training as well. The survey reveals that more than one-quarter (27 percent) of employees believe that the main reason for the “skills gap” is not because of a shortage of candidate skills, but only a lack of willingness among companies to pay enough to attract the candidates with the skills they desire. That said, more than one- quarter of Americans are placing complete responsibility on companies themselves, and are willing to take ownership for advancing their own careers. In fact, 27 percent of employed Americans and 26 percent of unemployed Americans indicated they would be willing to invest up to $1,000 of their own money each year for relevant skills training.

For those who did receive training, the news is encouraging. 71 percent of employed Americans felt effectively trained when on-boarded to their most recent position. Additionally, a majority (70 percent) of employed Americans agree that their company’s training is relevant to their day-to-day jobs. While several factors including content, platform and interactivity constitute relevant training, it looks as though the trainer can make all the difference. If Americans could have their pick of any business leader to host their company’s training, CEO and philanthropist Warren Buffet is the #1 choice for corporate trainer, selected by 35 percent of Americans. Close to one in five (18 percent) selected investor and NBA owner Mark Cuban, while another 11 percent opted for Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Mindflash from September 10-12, 2014 among 2,011 adults ages 18 and older, among which 1,050 are employed. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Maggie Habib at maggie@mpublicrelations.com.

About Mindflash

Mindflash provides the leading online platform for employee and customer training. Its cloud-based, simple yet powerful design allows businesses to more easily create and manage critical company training programs—saving them significant time and money. No engineering or IT support is required, as there is no software to install or maintain. Courses are created using the file types that businesses already use (PowerPoint, PDF, Word, video, audio). Trainers simply upload and organize files using an intuitive course dashboard, add quizzes and then publish to the web to create self-paced new hire training, sales training, customer certification courses, etc. As needed, the software scales to support thousands of simultaneous training sessions. Mindflash has over 1,000 customers including McDonalds, Microsoft, Lufthansa and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Founded in 1999, Mindflash is a privately held company and headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. To learn more, please visit www.mindflash.com.